A Gamble Gone Wrong
by Thunderfall
Summary: Written for the Reinako same prompt fic party. Prompt: Mythology. Prelude to the famous love affair of Mars and Venus. This tells the story about what happened before Venus was forced marry Vulcanos and how she had foolishly taken a gamble that backfired horribly - REINAKO VERSION. CHAPTER 2 IS UP!
1. Chapter 1

**A Gamble Gone Wrong**

 **Words: ~ 5k**

Writen for the Reinako same prompt fic party. Prompt: **Mythology**

We all know what happened after Venus got married to Vulcanos, but not many know that there's actually a story prior to that. This is the prelude of the famous affair of Mars and Venus reinako-fied

* * *

For information about the original myth look at the Notes at the end.

"Father, what is the meaning of this?" Minako asked slightly annoyed as she followed her father down the halls. It was too early in the morning for her liking, and the way her father ushered her towards the audience hall while she was only clad in her morning robe did nothing to calm her down. He seemed anxious and worried and Minako couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Initially, her first instinct had been that they were under attack, but there were no guards with her so she could deduct she wasn't in immediate danger. Whatever riled her father up like that didn't seem like a threat.

He gave her an apologetic look and opened the big winged doors towards the audience hall. Minako blinked in confusion as she found the hall filled with nobles, soldiers, ambassadors, and sellswords.

"Father?" She asked once again, but he grabbed her by the wrist and ascended the stairs towards the thrones. Her mother was also there, but not sitting on her throne. She rested in an armchair, her face frozen solid, her eyes empty, her skin grey…

A gasp escaped Minako's lips and she felt sick. Her mother looked dead.

"Mother!" She wound out of his grasp and hurried over to touch her mother's skin, only to be met with cold stone. She pulled her fingers away, feeling they were slightly shaking as she struggled to grasp the reality of the situation. Her father had yet to explain a single thing to her.

"As you see, a curse has befallen our beloved Queen." The king proclaimed loudly, his mighty voice echoing through the hall and silencing the chatter of the others. Minako turned towards him, listening anxiously.

"The chair has been a present from one of the Earth's Generals in favour to win my daughter's hand in marriage. Your Queen received it some time ago, but last night she sat down in it for the first time and turned to stone." Minakos eyes widened. She had known of the General who had wanted to wed her, and she had known that her father declined because he thought him weak and unworthy of his daughter. To think he had put a curse on that chair…

"I hereby offer you my daughter's hand in marriage to whoever can free my Queen." His voice was strangled as the words left his mouth and he pleaded for forgiveness as his eyes locked with Minako. To say she was aghast would be an understatement. Her head turned around sharply as the mob in the hall bawled and shouted, all eager to board the next shuttle to earth.

Unbeknownst to him, her father had also presented her an opportunity, one she had been waiting for so long. Her heart pounded as she raised her voice as well, silencing everything else in the room.

"I hereby promise to marry whoever" she made sure to emphasize the last word "will free my mother." Her eyes locked with her father who was surprised, but pleased by his daughter's reaction. Of course he didn't know that she was going to use his promise for her own agenda. She felt a bit guilty using her mother's situation for her own goals, but it was for a good cause.

"Whoever can free my Queen." Had been what her father said, and she had a precise idea who that 'whoever' was going to be.

She smiled slyly to herself as she turned on her heel and left the hall.

* * *

A few days later, the first adventurers returned. All of them beaten and defeated, quivering in fear and telling tales of shaking mountains and lava raining from the sky. More and more had given up and the King became desperate. Meanwhile, Minako sat back and awaited someone's arrival, someone who was sure to win and free the Queen.

And arrive she did.

Her father wasn't pleased with the sight of the Martian shuttle in the hangar. It was true that word had spread to the other planets. Jovians and Mercurians were already under the adventurous fools that tried to win his daughters hand, and now a Martian entered the competition as well.

It wasn't just some Martians however; it was the princess of Mars herself, the goddess of war personified. Minako knew her father harboured dislike for her, for all Martians in fact, but he was bound by his words to give her hand to 'whoever' freed his Queen.

Her lips curled upwards as she watched the Martians set up camp on the palace grounds. She and the princess of Mars weren't strangers at all, even though her father didn't know all of their history together. When he had sent her to the Moon years ago to meet the other princesses, she and Rei had grown close and eventually fell in love, although they did have a rocky start. Pursuing their relationship in secret had become difficult ever since they had to return to their respective planets, but they managed. Three years earlier, Rei had won the tournament for her hand, but her father interfered. He kept saying he'd rather see Minako never married at all than to marry his only daughter off to a barbarian and so, the deal was cancelled. He justified his actions by saying Rei had been impersonating someone she hadn't been. She had been calling herself a Saturnian instead of a Martian to get the permission to enter the tournament, but of course her secret had been spilled.

But now with the public pronunciation, her father could not turn her down without having his word doubted by all the royal houses in the solar system.

Minako grinned as she spotted the raven haired beauty down in the camp, issuing orders, helping her soldiers to put up the tents, all while wearing that armour of hers… the wonderful leather armour that made sure to cling onto her on all the right places…

Minako loved it.

She left her place on the balcony in favour of descending the stairs towards the entrance hall, and from there, to the outside. It had been months since she had last seen Rei and frankly, they had a lot of catching up to do.

She stood out between the Martians. Her blonde hair and golden dress were like a shining beacon amongst all the red and black of their armours. The Martians bowed to her respectfully. They clearly knew who she was and they probably also knew of Rei's reason to be here. If Rei won, she would become part of the Martian royal family, and she couldn't help but compare how respectfully the 'barbarians' treated her, while her own father had nothing left for them but scorn and disgust.

She made her way towards the big tent in the middle bearing the royal sign of Mars and slipped inside.

Rei wasn't here yet she noticed with a bit of disappointment. She was probably still outside helping her people to set up camp.

Minako strode through the tent, observing the various kinds of things the martian brought with her. There were her weapons, a chest with her clothes…some personal belongings… and a makeshift bed consisting mostly of furs.

She contemplated looking through Rei's clothes only to have something to do, but someone stepped into the tent and stopped her in her tracks.

"Mina?" a familiar voice asked with a bit of surprise, a bit of annoyance, and a large part of happiness.

"Surprise." Minako grinned slyly at her as she crossed the room, practically swaying towards Rei who finally gave her a smile. Rei was about to respond, but Minako's lips cut short whatever words were about to leave her mouth. It had been too long. Almost three months since the last time they had seen each other, and if it weren't for this occasion, it would have been another three. Their kiss grew more and more heated and urgent, almost to the point where Minako contemplated that the verbal part catching up could wait a bit longer. Apparently, Rei was thinking the same thing and she tightened her grip around her lover, breathing in her intoxicating scent while burying her head in the other's neck.

Yes, the verbal part would have to wait.

One and a half hours later, when the more pleasurable part of their 'catching up' had been dealt with, Minako wasted no time in explaining the situation in detail. She had given Rei a rough description through the command centre before, telling her to come to Venus as soon as possible, but leaving out some information.

Rei listened to her every word, carefully taking in every bit of information she could gather about her mission. It sounded simple. Go to Earth, drag the General out of his Mountain and to Venus, and make him release the Queen. Who else was fit better for that than the goddess of war?

Minako thought the same or else, she would have never taken the gamble. She trusted Rei to pass this test and finally get what should've been theirs three years ago.

"Do you think you're up for it?" Minako teased her and propped up on her elbow, looking down on the woman lying next to her. It was a rhetorical question of course. She knew this Mars would tear down the sky if it meant finally having her Venus by her side.

"I'll travel to Earth at first light in the morning." Rei promised with such conviction that Minako would never have doubted her words. The Venusian smiled and gave her a light peck on the cheek before leaning back against her lover.

* * *

And so, Rei boarded a shuttle to Earth right in the morning with her two most trusted warriors and companions by her side. Minako watched her leave with an encouraging smile, believing that she would come back as victor, much to her father's dismay.

After three days, they arrived on Earth.

They stepped out of their ship on sandy ground, very similar to the desert on Mars, although lacking the red colouring of her home planet. They made sure to land in the middle-eastern section right away, having been granted permission by the new Governor of the land.

The man seemed to happy about Rei's agenda it seemed. Of course, she could only guess but ever since Kunzite had to step down from his position there had been a power struggle between the new Governor and and the followers of the old one.

Rei wasn't on good terms with Kunzite.

She was the one who had defeated him three years ago and smashed his knee, crippling him in the quarter finals of the tournament and sent him back in shame. It had been his fault entirely. He was the one who disgraced the discipline of war with the unnecessary massacres he had initiated on Earth. An act of meaningless violence wasn't something she understood, even after having killed so many men herself. Wars on Mars were fair, quick, and used to make way for peace. The survivors were granted full protection and integration, and not slaughtered like animals and leftover food for dogs.

Minako told her he lived inside a mountain in a cave system ever since he deserted his palace and title. It was a mountain that was more like a fortress from the inside, with various corridors, traps, and other surprises only waiting for the chance to kill her. A lot of men hadn't made it back from this place and those who did were still in shock back at Venus, refusing to speak.

After gathering some information from a merchant, they marched towards the directions he gave them. The mountain was hard to oversee; with his giant, barren cliffs and the fresh skeletons warning every adventurer to turn away, mocking the young woman with further display of unnecessary cruelty. With horror, she realized that a child was amongst the casualties as well.

"That one probably went out to fulfil a dream of his." Phobos said and cut the ties loose, holding the remnants of the body in place. The bones fell to the floor and they gathered them, preparing a small burial.

"That was a child. A naïve child caught in the daydream of marrying the Venusian princess."

Rei bit her lip. With every passing second she hated the man more and more and silently asked herself if she had to bring him alive to lift the curse or if she could just kill him on the spot and set an end to this perversion. She didn't want to risk it though, if the Venusian king wanted him alive, then her killing him might give him some sort of leverage to go back on his word.

After they had finished the small grave, they investigated the cliffs, finding an entrance on the foot of the mountain leading into its depths. She summoned fire in her palm and Phobos and Deimos unsheathed their blades, cautiously following her every step.

It was quiet on the inside, almost as if they were in a tomb. The spilled blood on the walls gave them some sort of indication when there was a trap nearby, and for the most part, they managed without activating them. It only got narrow when Phobos accidentally stepped on the wrong stone, setting off a couple of spears flying in their direction.

The amount of traps they encountered was in no way justifying the horrors she had heard so far. She almost felt like she was guided towards the centre of the mountain, as if someone held back in order to get her through.

Half an hour and a few traps later, they arrived in a giant cave adorned with all the accommodations necessary for living. Rugs were on the floor, tables, chairs, bookshelves and weapons all around the place, and the crystals that grew out of the walls artificially illuminated the room.

"I am honoured Venus sent me her beloved Mars to keep me company." The sultry voice of the man echoed through the halls, giving him a much more impressive aura than she remembered. Back then he had kneeled before her in the dust; here, he was the king of the mountain. "In fact, I am so honoured I let you find me."

Kunzite limped into view and towards the throne in the middle of the cave.

"I have orders to bring you to Venus. Release the curse that binds the Venusian Queen." Rei commanded and unsheathed the very blade that had crippled him all these years ago.

His eyes took notice of the sword and a look of disgust crossed his face.

"I am supposed to release her so that you can come back as victor and wed her? My dear Mars, I thought you were smarter than this."

"If you don't want to come willingly I am going to use force. I have won against you last time and I will again." Rei shouted, stepping deeper into the cave.

"You forget one thing, Mars." The ground started shaking as Kunzite snapped his fingers. Rose coloured spikes suddenly shot out the earth and Rei narrowly managed to dodge them. She dashed towards him at full-speed, ready to attack him, but a searing pain in her shoulder stopped her in her tracks. She slumped down to her knees, breathing heavily as she eyed the giant crystal shard which had pierced the left side of her chest. "You're playing on my turf now and as long as I am alive, I will keep you from her."

Another snap and the mountain above them started rumbling. Rei gritted her teeth and glared back at Kunzite who was smirking at her, enormously enjoying the pool of blood that gathered at her feet. If it weren't for Phobos and Deimos dragging her outside, she would've stayed in the cave and killed him for sure. The wound on her shoulder was deep and she lost a lot of blood. Phobos was shouting something, but it didn't reach her ears. Parts of the walls crumbled, blocking their path, some minor rubble hit her head, her body, and suddenly, everything went black.

She awoke a few hours before returning to Venus. Phobos and Deimos had to physically restrain her from making the captain turn this ship around. She was hell-bent on killing Kunzite and bringing his head back to Venus, but the wound on her shoulder urged her to lie back down. A goddess she was, but only in title. Death was still a very real threat to her.

Grudgingly, she gave them a promise to hold still until their arrival on Venus while simultaneously making plans to make Kunzite pay.

* * *

"I see you managed to drive Mars away. I'm impressed." Kunzite didn't need to look to know who the voice belonged to. The arrogance, the teasing tone…

"Nephrite. Which god have I angered so that you bless me with your company?"

Nephrite's lips curled upward "Mars."

"Ah yes, victory is sweet, isn't it?"

Nephrite raised his eyebrows.

"You call that a victory? You may have won one battle, but she will return with an entire army and drive you out of that mountain. She came here with the goal to get you alive, and now you have angered her. I wouldn't put my money on you." He casually strode through the cave and sipped on the goblet in his hands. He made himself comfortable in one of the armchairs and nonchalantly flipped through a book he gathered from a shelf.

"So you came to warn me? I am touched." Kunzite rolled his eyes and limped over to one of the armchairs next to the fireplace. He had cut all his ties with the other Generals after his shameful defeat 3 years ago, so he didn't buy a single word coming out of Nephrite's mouth.

"Oh I did not come to warn you, I came to make a preposition."

Kunzite was intrigued. "I'm listening."

"The King of Venus offers the hand of his daughter to whoever makes you lift the curse. Don't you understand?" Nephrite explained, looking at his old comrade over the edge of the book.

Kunzite started grinning as he caught on what Nephrite meant. The man smirked and took another sip out of his cup.

"Right now, Venus freely shares her bed with Mars. Her father is against it. He would take anyone over the goddess of war, even you. You could have your revenge and your Venus, you only have lift the curse out of your free will in front of the entire Venusian court and- "

"and the king would be bound by his word." Kunzite finished.

Nephrite raised his cup towards him, slightly swirling the liquid. "And Mars can't do anything but watch. You'd be under the protection of the Kingdom of Venus as next in line of the throne and fiancé of the princess."

"And why are you suddenly so interested in seeing my private affairs settled?"

Nephrite laughed. "I just want the lion's share of the marriage portion."

* * *

Minako was about to lose her patience. Nothing had gone according to plan. Rei had come back injured and without Kunzite, defeated by him in his mountain in mere minutes. Rei's reputation was damaged since now she wasn't the undefeated goddess of war anymore, but someone who had to yield before a cripple. Without a doubt, word of her defeat had gone to Mars and her father, meaning that she had to answer herself sooner or later for her disgrace.

On top of all of that, the goddess of war was also too stubborn for her own good and didn't know when to listen to someone else.

"You're an idiot. Stop squirming and lie down already!" Minako hissed at Rei sharply. The other woman was currently resting in her bed, bandaged up and hell-bent on seeking revenge. Minako had insisted they brought Rei up in her quarters so that she could rest comfortably, but also to give them more privacy. It wouldn't do the Martians any good to see how grumpy and cranky, yet unbelievable soft their princess could be when Minako was around. For a warrior, she should be ashamed how easy she melted around the Venusian.

"I can't! I have to get back to Earth." She started to push herself out of the bed, but Minako put her back down. Rei had been eager to get back to Earth as soon as she set foot on Venus, but Minako could see that physically, she was not up for it yet.

"Yeah you have to get back to Earth, very soon actually or someone else might win, but first that wound here needs to close up." She snapped at her and Rei defiantly let out a huff and tried to cross her arms, but failed miserably.

"It can close up on the way to Earth."

Minako looked incredulously at her, and as if to prove her point, poked Rei's injured shoulder, urging a small wince out of her.

"Stop struggling, you can barely move your arm. Believe me, the only thing worse than getting married off to someone else would be you dying now." Rei glared at Minako's words and rubbed the spot Minako had pinched her.

"I thought that would be preferable now. Then you wouldn't have to deal with me anymore." Rei sassed back. She didn't have much patience either. Her defeat had been a shame for her since she had never failed in anything else before.

"If you're dead then how would we have a torrid love affair during my future marriage?" Minako cracked a joke, but she knew it was a tasteless one. She sat down on her bed and stretched next to Rei. She closed her eyes, trying to hide her nervousness. The only reason she didn't resist her father's proposal to be the prize for the victor was because she had been sure Rei would prevail without effort, but her plan had backfired drastically.

Rei was frustrated with the entire situation. Martians were possessive by nature, just as much as Venusians. She had chosen Minako, and Minako had chosen her and yet, they had to go through such an ordeal to be together.

"No one's marrying you but me." Rei stated what had been on both their minds for years.

"Yeah about that…great job so far." Minako sighed and cuddled into Rei's uninjured side, intertwining their fingers. The only good thing coming out of this disaster was that the majority of the other adventurers had given up. If the Martian warrior princess was injured in a bed after an encounter with Kunzite, then it was a certain death sentence for a normal person. They just had to bridge a few days like this, then Rei would be healed up and ready to go for a round two, and this time with the entire Martian army.

Rei made an effort to comfort her and gently kissed her forehead. She was sure she could keep her promise and be the one to walk Minako down the aisle, or she would die trying.

Minako sighed and pressed a good night kiss to Rei's cheek.

"We should sleep. You have an appointment with the royal healer tomorrow morning." Rei growled something about 'The martian healing techniques are sufficient enough, thank you', but eventually shut up when Minako shoved a pillow in her face.

The next morning was spent rather peacefully. After sleeping in, they both enjoyed a bit of cuddling as far as Rei's injuries allowed them to. Minako tried to help her dress, but Rei refused the Venusian clothes she got offered, saying that they were too bright and that she still had a bit of pride left in her body.

Minako sighed and helped her in her uniform, poking fun at Rei's hatred for colours and anything fashionable. Her teasing couldn't go that far however, since Rei made use of her favourite way to shut Minako up.

Their peace was cut short when the doors barged open and the King stepped in. Rei and Minako jumped apart as much as they could, yet Minako didn't seem in the mood to get out of bed.

"You should learn how to knock." She scolded her father and leaned against the headboard, demanding an explanation. Rei followed suit, sitting upright as far as she could and was met with the disgusted stare of the Venusian king. Like a bull ready to charge, he flared his nostrils and glared at her, but Rei braved it fiercely.

He gave her one last loaded look before sharply addressing his daughter.

"Get up. You're coming down to the great hall now."

Minako was confused, but she had a bad feeling about this. "For what?"

"Your wedding." He snapped his fingers and the guards stepped forward towards the bed.

"Wait a-" She struggled and slapped when they came near her, but without her sword or any other kind of weapon she was overpowered. Rei wasn't of much help either. She could barely move and even though she tried to get to Minako, one of the soldiers pushed her face-down on the mattress. She wasn't the goddess of war for nothing though and her legs were healthy. She kicked the soldier between his legs and tried to roll out of the bed, but she accidentally put too much pressure on her wounded side. Pain seared through her body and the soldier got a hold on her again.

Minako was furious. She yanked the guard's arm away and kicked his shin before getting her hands on his blade. She stormed towards her father and aimed it at his heart.

Her father was furious. "Put that sword down child or the Martian princess will pay for your defiance."

Minako turned her head slightly around to see that the guards had caught themselves again. One of them pulled Rei's hair back to bare her throat while the other threatened her with a dagger. The wound on her shoulder had been ripped open again, staining the bandages they had applied the night before. She was breathing heavily and yet, her eyes screamed at Minako to defy her father.

"You gave your word, now you have to keep it." The king stated coldly. "Or Mars will get the news that its princess died because of the injuries she received on Earth."

Minako gritted her teeth. She wouldn't put it past her father to kill Rei, his dislike for Martians was that severe. She dropped the sword, but not without giving him one last glare. As much as she hated it, she was the one giving the promise to marry the victor; she couldn't let Rei pay for her mistakes.

"Nothing will happen to her." She demanded coldly.

Her father wanted to take her hand and lead her out, but she yanked his arm away, giving Rei one last look before storming out of her chambers.

The king waved at his guards and they took a hold on Rei, forcing her to stand up and look him in the eyes.

"You will leave this planet right now and never come back." Were the last words Rei heard from the king before she got dragged out of the room.

The guards were holding her up a bit more gently as they 'escorted' her to the Martian camp. If word got out that the Venusian king was mistreating their princess then who knew what the soldiers would do. Rei couldn't risk an all-out war, but she would lie if she said she wasn't heavily considering it.

Phobos and Deimos rushed over and took her out of the guard's grasp, who then proclaimed that the Martians had to clear the camp by noon and be on their way back home as soon as possible.

Phobos and Deimos guided her back towards her tent where they instantly began to change her bandages.

Rei was fuming. She barked overly aggressive at Deimos when he pulled the bandage a bit too tight, knocking the air out of her lungs, or shouted at Phobos when he tried to prevent her from wearing her armour.

For all what's worth, she wanted to catch a glimpse of the victor, and maybe sneak off to speak with Minako again. Grudgingly her guards obeyed their stubborn princess and so, Rei marched out of the camp battle-clad in full armour a short time later. She stormed through the halls, Phobos and Deimos on her heels, ignoring whatever kind of searing pain plagued her left side. Bells were starting to ring and she sped up until she reached the ceremonial hall.

It was crowded and filled with a lot of people, all gathered together in a fast make-shift celebration. The decorations were sparse, the guests appeared surprised as well, and the food was a long shot away from the usual luxury the Venusian cooks liked to offer at celebrations. Everything was unworthy of a wedding, especially the one of the princess.

Rei pushed her way through the nobles, encountering a curious gaze here and there but overall, she managed to get through to catch a glimpse at the main plaza.

There, on the steps leading up to a smaller elevated area she saw Minako in a white dress. She was about to rush to her side, ready to shove away anyone who'd get in her way, but when Minako made eye contact, she was stopped in her tracks.

Minako slightly shook her head, her indicating that Rei should stay put. She didn't understand why until Minako's eyes gestured to the area above them.

Archers were lined up and aiming not only at her, but also at Minako. Grudgingly, Rei realized that she didn't have a choice. The seriousness in Minako's eyes told her that her father wouldn't hesitate to kill his own daughter for sharing her bed with a Martian.

Minako's mother had been freed from the curse and stood beside her daughter, as did the king. As for the groom…he came into view shortly after, limping his way up the stairs.

Rei's eyes widened in fury and her uninjured arm grasped the handle of her sword.

It was Kunzite.

He bowed to the King and Queen of Venus and took Minako's hand, leading her down the aisle.

She was about to move, but Phobos and Deimos grabbed her and pulled her back as they also noticed the archers. They dragged her out of the ceremonial hall, trying to calm their fuming princess as she remembered the words Kunzite had told her back in the cave.

 _"As long as I am alive, I will keep you from her."_

* * *

 **AN** : In the original Myth. Juno sat down on a cursed chair that Vulcanos had gifted her and she couldn't stand up again. Jupiter then promised Venus hand to whoever freed his wife and Venus agreed because she thought her lover Mars would win anyway. Mars tried to get Vulcanos to Olympos by force, but was driven out of the mountain. Bacchus managed to persuade Vulcanos and told him that he could have the goddess of love as wife anger his brother Mars and so, he returned to Olympos out of his free will and freed Juno. Venus was now forced to marry Vulcanos despite loving Mars and Mars was of course pissed as fuck. We all know what happened afterwards.

Roles:

Rei - Mars (duh)

Minako - Venus

Kunzite - Vulcanos

King/Queen of Venus - Jupiter and Juno

Nephrite - Bacchus

I hope this one wasn't that shitty


	2. Chapter 2

**I couldn't leave this mythology thing alone, so here is the continuation. I will probably write a third chapter as well so that we finally have a story about the famous love affair between Mars and Venus.**

She sighed and wiped the blood off her face. The enemy's forces were on the retreat and her own army celebrated her victory.

She pulled her sword out of the body at her feet and put it back in her sheath. Medics were already on the battlefield, taking care of the wounded. She told them once again that the battle was over and that their enemies would receive the same treatment as their own soldiers before helping them, looking for survivors. A young man at her feet, mortally wounded yet still not dead, begged her to release him from the pain. She kneeled and nodded before slitting his throat in a quick move, making sure he didn't have to suffer. She closed his eyes and bowed her head slightly, wishing him a good journey to the realm of the dead.

She had to repeat the process a few times after that. The majority of the soldiers preferred dying on the battle field than in a hospital wing and it was an honour to be sent to their ancestors by the goddess of war herself.

Despite the casualties, the day had been a success. They had freed the city and large celebrations would be held in the days to come. The survivors of the enemy's army would join her own ranks and take part in the festivities, strengthening her army further for her final march towards Dia-Cau, to take back the last of the cities she had lost in the last few months.

She had been away for some diplomatic matters on Uranus and Jupiter, and needless to say the warlords of Mars had seized this opportunity to march against her. Her father's army didn't protect her cities anymore for she was an adult now, and maybe in the future she would face off against them as well. The last time had been when she had reclaimed her honour after her shameful defeat on Earth a year ago.

She grimaced. The memory of that day still hung heavily on her mind and the hatred in her heart just as alive.

Phobos and Deimos hurried over to her, giving her the reigns of her steady horse Aethon and she gave them some orders concerning the cleaning up. All the bodies were to be tomorrow since the sun was already setting. It was getting too late to prepare a burial now, and her soldiers needed rest. She would speak her prayer over them and establish a night shift guarding the battle field, making sure none of the fallen warriors was going to be food for the dogs or crows.

She spurred her horse and her stallion galloped over the field towards their camp, leaving a trail of dust behind as the red and rocky landscape flew past them. She craved a bath and some food now, after hours of murder and battle some rest would do her good.

When she entered the camp, cheering erupted from all sides, soldiers bowed or bashed their swords against their shields when she rode by, welcoming their victorious princess. She raised a hand in greeting and made her way past them towards her own tent.

After unmounting her horse and giving it to the caretaker she excused herself for some privacy and headed inside her large tent.

However, she wasn't alone.

There, lounging on the comfortable armchair that had been a present from one of the villages they passed and eating her grapes was no other than the goddess of love.

The blonde had noticed her arrival and smirked before slipping another grape seductively in her mouth, chewing on it with delight while her eyes never left the other.

"I always wondered how you manage to sneak past my guards." Rei sighed but couldn't hide the obvious joy she felt at seeing Minako. She wouldn't make it easy though because where was the fun in that?

"Maybe my skill outmatches them or they know to let me in." Minako winked and ate another grape, letting her eyes rake in obvious delight over Rei's battle-worn form.

The armour, the blood, the dirt of the battle field that clung on to her…it set something off in the blonde that was almost animalistic. Rei knew of that too well, and she knew how to use it to her favour. She made her way over towards the bucket of water that had been prepared, at least washing the blood off her hands and face.

Minako's eyes followed her every movement and Rei was aware of that. Rei also knew that this state she was in was like a natural aphrodisiac to the Venusian and that she would not let that go to waste without catching at least a bit of it; and she was delighted when two hands stopped her from unclasping the armour just yet.

She felt Minako's arms wrap around her from behind and lips brushing the back of her neck before taking in a long and deep breath through her nose, inhaling the intoxicating scent of steel and blood that clung on to her.

Rei couldn't understand how the Venusian found those scents appealing. Maybe it was because it was such an opposite of what she was used to. The luxury of the palace, the absence of almost all sorts of violence and battle were maybe what made this aroma so exotic for her.

Personally, Rei found Minako's scent much more appealing. The soft smell of peaches and vanilla that always clung on to her, the rose perfume she used whenever she had a public appearance, the taste of chocolate on her lips when she managed to steal something from the royal bakers… Those kinds of things were what Rei found so addicting about her. Maybe it was because it was a world so foreign to her own that drew her in, leaving her entranced with its alluring promises of a paradise out of her reach.

"You're unfair." She felt her murmur against her ear as soft hands caressed her over her armour. "You haven't even greeted me appropriately." Rei had to suppress a smile at the small hint of annoyance in Minako's words.

It had almost been 5 months since they had last seen each other. Ever since Minako got married off to Kunzite, she was forced to spend her days on Venus and rarely managed to slip away for diplomatic missions on the moon, granting her a break from her prison. Rei was banned from Venus by the word of the king, and yet they managed to exchange messages once upon a blue moon and meet up on rare occasions when both of them were attending interplanetary gatherings. The princesses of Jupiter and Mercury, two long-time friends of them who had seen their love bloom, plus the princess and Queen of the moon were kind enough not telling anyone about their meetings for it would spike a lot of problems for both of them.

An adulterous affair on Venus was handled rather severely. As long as you weren't married, you could do whatever (and whoever) you wanted to, but once you were it was considered shameful.

Mars had similar views as they valued loyalty above anything else, but judging by the way Rei's own soldiers had reacted when they found out that their princesses fiancée got forced to marry someone else…well let's just say that a declaration of war from Mars to Venus would've been the least of all worries. Queen Serenity had to interfere to guarantee peace between the inner planets and grudgingly, they had to obey.

"How did you get here?" Rei asked while leaning back, closing her eyes as she enjoyed having Minako so close to her once again.

"I had a meeting on Jupiter. Mako helped me to sneak here to see you." Minako whispered and Rei felt the faint ghost of her lips travelling along her neck and up her jaw. Rei made a mental note to thank Makoto for that the next time she went to Jupiter.

Unable to restrain herself any longer, she spun around and ferociously kissed the Venusian.

Minako let out a surprised moan as their lips made contact but responded with eager passion, feeling the longing that had been built up in all those months apart. Rei wrapped her arms around her and Minako unclasped a buckle of her armour, followed by another until she was granted access to the skin of her beloved. Rei's own hands were roaming as well, finding the buckle of her beige tunic and unclasping it effortlessly, slipping the soft material off her form. Battle-worn hands started caressing her like so many times in the past, and once again Rei marvelled in the softness of her body.

The petite form of Minako was selling a false image however. No one knew better than Rei what kind of power the Venusian possessed, how she made people crave for her attention, how people were starving for her company, how entire armies would set in motion if she gave the word… This woman could wrap the world around her little finger if she wanted to, and Rei knew she was no exception. She knew it was a privilege to be loved by her, and every night she thanked the sun, the moon, and the stars to be the one to hold her like this.

Rei broke the kiss and buried her head in her shoulder, inhaling her own scent like it was the sweetest nectar of the gods. Minako held her for a few moments, just wanting to have her in her arms. Their fate was cruel indeed. After having loved each other for so long, those stolen moments were still all they got. Brief times when duty brought them together for maybe a few hours, sometimes even a night, but still not enough when they thought about what they could have had.

Something wet trailed down Minako's back and she noticed that Rei was slightly shaking against her.

She slowly put some distance between them until she could look in those gorgeous lavender eyes that were shimmering with small droplets of water. Minako gave her an encouraging smile. It wasn't the first time Rei had done this when they were together. Deep down inside, the Martian still blamed herself for her failure and thought it was her fault entirely that Minako was caught in her marriage.

"You know if you keep crying like that we might need to change our plans for the evening." Minako whispered and Rei let out a strangled laugh before pulling her back again.

.

.

"How long will it take?" Minako asked as she let her fingers run through Rei's hair. The raven sighed contently and took a hold of her hand, brushing her lips softly over her knuckles before releasing it again.

"I have a meeting coming up in 2 months on the moon. I'm sure we can ask Serenity to invite you as well." Rei said and rolled to her side, letting her hand absent-mindedly trail along Minako's body. She noticed a shift in Minako's aura. The joy and happiness she had felt earlier had changed to something darker. Sadness, frustration, anger were the emotions that dominated her mind now.

Rei scooted up a bit and leaned down so that she could look at her face

"What's wrong?" she asked and Minako closed her eyes before sighing.

"Two months…" she opened them again and the tiredness in those usually bright cerulean eyes was a worrying sight.

Rei smiled sadly at her. Her hand came up to brush a strand of hair out of the Venusian's face and cupped her cheek.

"I hate it as well."

Rei rested her head next to Minako's and inhaled the scent of peaches. She knew she would miss it terribly once the night was over and Minako would leave her again.

"He doesn't hurt you, does he?" Rei asked cautiously. They usually never spoke of Kunzite, for it would take a lot of the enjoyment of their reunions, but the thought had crossed her mind far too often. Especially in the beginning she had found herself thrashing in her sleep having violent dreams that haunted her every step. It was only when she had seen that Minako was unharmed and as beautiful as ever that she had calmed down, but the fear still lingered in the back of her mind.

Minako felt the anger rise in Rei and tried to ease her worries. "No, he knows that as soon as he'd do something, you'd raise your armies…If I don't kill him first that is."

Rei looked at her sternly before she leaned down, capturing her lips in a soft kiss that Minako equally reciprocated. When they broke apart, Rei's lips were only hovering millimetres above the Venusian's, and Minako was about to lean up again but a low whisper stopped her.

"Just say the word and I will do it."

Minako gave her a lopsided smile and slightly pressed her lips against hers before lying back again. She wanted to say Yes more than anything, but she couldn't let her people pay for her mistakes.

"And bring death and destruction on Venus as well?" Minako raised an eyebrow. Venus army was no match against the Martian one, so it was guaranteed to end in the slaughtering of her people. What kind of leader would she be if she was willing to do that?

Rei sensed her worries. "No harm will be done to any Venusian. I promise."

"Then you are leading your own people to the butcher. My father won't let you set foot on Venus, you know that."

"I know."

Rei sighed and shifted, resting her head against the pillows again. Minako scooted over and rested her head on her shoulder, cuddling into Rei's warmth, making use of it in this cold night.

"It's like a golden cage." Minako began telling. Her finger had begun drawing random shapes on Rei's skin, her nail leaving a slight well in its wake, but not on the side of hurting.

"They spoil me just as much as they have before. I just have to say the word and I get everything I want…the finest dresses, the best jewellery, the most sought-after perfumes…everything. And yet they keep me locked up in this arrangement, not knowing that it kills me from the inside, not knowing that I am only able to breathe once I'm away from them."

Rei didn't say anything and instead, embraced Minako, holding her tightly against her. She knew what she meant; after all she felt the same. Tomorrow, the Venusian would leave her arms until their duty led them together again, but for tonight, she was here.

And that was all that mattered.

 **AN: Yes Minako has a thing for Rei in armor.**


End file.
